Contract cancelled after complaints
LANSING (AP) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's administration abruptly canceled a contract with a firm one day after it was tapped to help reach those who have come into contact with infected people.
Republicans had complained Great Lakes Community Engagement is owned by a Democratic consultant who planned to also use software developed by a firm with ties to Democratic campaigns.
The contract — worth nearly $200,000 over two months — should have been approved by the State Emergency Operations Center, not the state Department of Health and Human Services, said Whitmer spokeswoman Tiffany Brown.
“This issue is being corrected, and a different vendor and software platform will be selected by the SEOC," she said.
GOP Rep. Shane Hernandez of Port Huron, chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said he was “pleased” by the reversal but wants to know “how this could happen in the first place.”
New sentence ordered in case of Detroit firefighter’s death
DETROIT (AP) — A man convicted of arranging an arson that killed a Detroit firefighter has been sentenced three times since the 2008 crime.
Twelve years and two judges later, the trial court still hasn't been able to get it right, the Michigan appeals court said.
Mario Willis was convicted of second-degree murder after being charged with paying a handyman $20 to burn down an abandoned house. The roof collapsed on firefighter Walt Harris while he was fighting the fire, killing him.
The appeals court last week acknowledged the “tragedy” but returned Willis' case to Wayne County Judge Margaret Van Houten. The court said she had failed to adequately explain why he deserved a minimum prison sentence of 37 years.
Van Houten exceeded the guidelines, which would put the minimum sentence anywhere from about 19 years to 31 years. A prisoner is eligible for parole review after the minimum sentence.
The appeals court noted that Willis, now 38, has had “exemplary behavior” behind bars.
Ohio’s high court to hear arguments about gunman’s records
COLUMBUS, OH (AP) — Ohio Supreme Court agreed to hear oral arguments in a case filed by news media groups seeking school records about the man who gunned down nine people in Dayton last August before being killed by police.
The court said the media groups and Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who is supporting release of the records, will share time for arguments. No date was immediately set.
The media groups, including The Associated Press, argue the student records could provide information on whether authorities properly handled early warning signs from gunman Connor Betts.
The Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Local Schools district is fighting the release of Betts’ records, arguing that state and federal law protecting student privacy bar the release of confidential information without consent.
Betts was killed by police 32 seconds after he opened fire Aug. 4 in Dayton’s crowded Oregon District entertainment area. Armed with an AR-15 style gun with an extended ammunition magazine, Betts still killed nine, including his sister, and injured dozens more.
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